


Tempered

by KTG



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Knotting, M/M, Mild Gay Panic, Omega Keith (Voltron), Pining, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Soft Boys, Top Shiro (Voltron), mentions of off-screen cum inflation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:21:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27828898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KTG/pseuds/KTG
Summary: Keith has always struggled with his heats. Being half galra throws a few wrenches in the process and makes it nearly impossible to keep his temper under control. He's hot and uncomfortable, and his scent makes alphas go into rut. To make matters worse, the only alpha he really listens to, Shiro, has been out on a mission for almost an entire month. Brooding over his friend's absence--and finally acknowledging he wants more than friendship--Keith snaps at anyone who gets too close to him. His skin aches, he long for companionship, and he's determined to get through this heat just like all the others.That is, until Shiro returns and asks to talk to him--alone.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 245





	Tempered

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kirishims](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirishims/gifts).



> This is my first ever VLD fic! I really enjoyed getting the chance to write it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it! :)

Keith shoves past Lance, earning a whine and a low, annoyed growl.

“Hey!”

“Shove it!” he snaps, not bothering to turn around. He simply gives Lance the finger and stalks through the doorway, out to one of the main halls in the Castle of Lions.

His heat’s coming, and he _isn’t_ in the mood for anyone’s bullshit. He really doesn't want to deal with anyone else, let alone _Lance._ And maybe his rotten mood is enhanced because Shiro’s gone, but it’s not like he cares! Not even a little. Nope.

As the door slides shut behind him with a soft _whoosh,_ Keith’s frown softens. Okay, so maybe Lance isn’t _that_ bad. Just annoying. Really, really annoying. Unbearably annoying. And, unfortunately for Keith, Lance’s more irritating traits--like his pitched voice and constant complaints--always fray the last of Keith’s nerves the closer he grows to his heat. And his heat is _close._ Too close.

Which…

Well, considering he hadn’t punched Lance in the jaw this time, he has to admit that he’s getting better about controlling his temper.

It isn’t _his_ fault, anyway.

Heats are a natural part of life. A crappy, horrible, uncomfortable part of life.

Being half galra makes his heats absolutely intolerable, too. Everyone else has normal heats and ruts. They get to almost _enjoy_ their secondary genders. Heats for an average omega, as far as Keith understands it, only make those omegas super horny and really warm. Some of them get irritable, but most of the time, omegas turn into whining piles of mush during their heats. Their need for a knot is all they can focus on.

Not him, though.

Keith’s half-galra heritage means that he has… _other_ symptoms during his heats. Rage issues are only the beginning. He’s naturally more aggressive and moody than most people he knows; add his heat to that, and _bam!_ He’s an outright asshole.

That isn’t the worst of it, either. His skin aches all the _time_. In the days leading up to his heat, his entire body takes the worst sort of ache. His cheeks flush, his chest hurts, and his arms feel like they’re on fire.

It’s absolutely _miserable._ The ache always digs deeper into him as his heat progresses, too, like it’s trying to find a spot inside his chest to fester and grow, and his nipples become puffy, red, and so sensitive that he can hardly stand to wear shirts.

As he storms down the hallway, he absently rubs at his right nipple in a vain attempt to soothe the discomfort. It hurts, but putting pressure on the nipple relieves some of that ache. As he walks, he absently clenches his ass, wishing he had something to put inside of it.

_Stupid fucking heat. I hate this._

He’s not the only omega, at least. Lance and Hunk are both omegas, and Allura is something similar, though not exactly the same. Sometimes, Keith suspects she has horrible heats like he does. He’s never asked, though. The mere thought of explaining how he feels to her or having to hear how her heats are is…

Ugh.

 _Yeah. No thank you._ He’s not one to share how he feels, anyway.

He stops and leans against the cool metal wall of the corridor, trying to get the flush burning through his skin to calm down.

His eyes drift shut, and he rests a hand against his forehead. Even his palms are already hot. He’s going to need to retire for a few days, just to get through his cycle without murdering anyone.

 _It’s only a few days,_ he tells himself. _I can do it._

Just a few days every month. That’s all. Well, and the week leading up to it. And then the week after. Both those weeks are generally shot because his hormones are all over the place. Really, frustratingly enough, Keith only gets about one week a month to feel _normal,_ and even then, his typical normal isn’t anything like anyone else’s normal.

He wipes his hand over his face, dragging sweat with it. He better get going. Best not to dally around too much longer.

“What a waste of time,” he mutters, pushing off the wall.

His footsteps echo in the hallway as he heads toward his chambers. His thighs brush against his cocklet as he walks, and his ass is already leaking slick. At least he doesn’t have much farther to go. Once inside his quarters, he’ll be able to strip down and take a nice, long soak in the tub. Running water on the Castle of Lions is seldom used. For the most part, it’s saved for heats or ruts, just to give them some form of comfort. The filtration system is at least somewhat--

“Keith?”

A shiver runs up his spine, the short hairs on the back of his sweaty neck prickling up. That voice. That deep, husky voice. It has always made something deep inside Keith stir with longing and need. He’s tried to avoid the feeling, tried to push it away, but always seems to fail.

_Shiro._

The perfect alpha.

He’s strong, smart, kind hearted, loyal…

The list just goes on and on and _on._ Not to mention how absolutely stunning he is.

_But he’ll never see me the way I see him._

Keith swallows, mouth suddenly too dry to speak. His voice sticks in his chest. He turns slowly. “Yeah?” Man, he sounds awful. He actually _sounds_ like an omega going into heat. Great.

“You okay?” Shiro steps closer.

“When’d you get back?”

“Maybe a half hour ago. We just got done debriefing everyone. You weren’t there. I was worried.”

 _A half hour._ Shiro’s been gone almost a full month, him and Pidge both. They’ve been on a mission, and admittedly, Keith hasn’t taken the alpha’s absence well.

He runs his fingers through sweat-damp hair, his stomach dropping at the sudden yearning to run his hands through _Shiro’s_ hair. It’s short and coarse, the front soft. Keith has touched it once or twice over the years, but never for the reasons he wants to.

Realizing he hasn’t answered Shiro’s initial question, he says, “Well, I’m fine. Going… going into heat. Might wanna stay back.”

The words tumble free before he can stop them. If anything, he wants Shiro to be _closer_ to him, not farther away. The thing is, Keith knows his scent isn’t like that of other omegas. He smells like brimstone and fire, but with an earthy, mineral-rich undertone. That isn’t what he’s worried about, though. His scent is normal; the pheromones in it, however, aren’t.

Regular omegas can coax an alpha closer, urge them to please the omega during their heat without causing the alpha to rut.

Keith, though, has learned the hard way that the pheromones underlying his scent are thick with something that triggers an alpha to rut. He always has to be careful about how close alphas get when he’s about to go into heat.

He would never forgive himself if Shiro fell into rut and did something he regretted all because of Keith’s stupid half-galra scent.

“I’m just going to my quarters,” he continues, voice low. His obsidian gaze slides to Shiro in an attempt to gauge what the other man is thinking.

Shiro, much to his discomfort, steps closer, lifting his cybernetic arm. “I was actually hoping we could talk. Lance said you’ve been an ass while we’ve been gone. It’s not fair to--”

Keith bats Shiro’s hand away before it can touch his shoulder. His skin burns so badly for contact, but if he gives in, he isn’t sure what will happen. He can only fight his instincts for so long, and they’re currently _screaming_ for him to try and mount the alpha. His omega chants, _Knot, knot, knot,_ in the back of his mind.

“I’ll try not to be such an ass, then.” His voice lowers, a warning growling behind it. Shiro needs to step _back._ He needs to put some distance between the two of them, and fast. Keith wants him, and he’s not going to be able to stop himself forever.

Stepping away helps, but Shiro doesn’t make any move to leave him be.

“My scent’s gonna become too strong soon,” Keith mutters, glowering at Shiro as the two of them walk down the hallway together. _He knows that. Why is he still here? Damn him!_

The Black Paladin keeps some distance between them, but makes it clear he isn’t going to back off anytime soon. Now, of all times, isn’t when he should have approached Keith about his temper issues. If he’d just _waited_ a few days, things would have been easier. Keith’s mind wouldn’t be clouded, his omega wouldn’t be begging for the alpha’s fat knot, and he’d have his temper under better control.

But Shiro, despite his charm and raw intelligence, isn’t always the most observant person when it comes to personal relationships.

It’s doubtful that he has any idea how Keith feels about him.

_Well, it won’t be long before he can smell it on me._

Despite what everyone else thinks, Keith actually has fairly good control over his scent. Sure, he lets things go too far now and again. Losing his temper is only natural for him, but he’s able to guard his scent. Other omegas reveal how they feel by letting their emotions bleed into their scent, souring or sweetening it. Keith learned at an early age to hide his emotions and keep them from oozing out. He doesn’t want everyone to know what he’s thinking or feeling all the time. Projecting anger and his short-tempered nature keeps unwanted alphas away from him. It keeps him safe.

Shiro, though, has never actually caught onto the fact that Keith doesn’t always want him around.

 _Especially_ during his heat.

Like now, for example, with Shiro keeping him company--probably to ensure he won’t unintentionally strangle anyone--as they walk down the hallway.

“I don’t need a babysitter, you know.” Keith turns the last corner. His chambers--and those for the other paladins--are just down the hall. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know you will.” Shiro casts him a soft smile. “It’s the others I’m worried about. Hunk is just coming out of his heat and might be kinda… raw, emotionally speaking.”

Keith huffs softly. Okay, that’s fair. If he ran into Hunk on the way to his chambers, he might have snapped. Typically, Hunk doesn’t bother him. Not nearly as much as Lance, anyway. But the larger omega is a crier during his heat, and that always irks Keith more than he likes to admit.

“Fine, whatever.”

They reach the door to his quarters, and Keith opens it. He scowls when Shiro doesn't make any move to leave.

“You can go now.”

“So rude.” It sounds more playful than chiding, almost like Shiro’s saying, “ _Let me in._ ”

Keith swallows hard. Damn this dry mouth. It always seems to happen around his heat. _And around Shiro,_ his omega coos. “You can _go_ now.” It’s all he can muster. His groin aches, cocklet already straining against the front of his pants. Slick trickles along the back of his thigh, and he hopes that the alpha can’t smell him.

But that’s a futile wish.

Of _course_ Shiro can smell him. Anyone on the ship can probably smell his slick, just like he’d smelled Hunk’s a few days prior.

Shiro keeps a respectful distance, but his dark eyes wander lower before snapping back up to Keith’s face. “I… was hoping I could actually talk with you. Alone.”

“We _are_ alone.” His heart hammers against his ribs, his cheeks tingling with more heat at the implication of Shiro’s comment. His omega is all but bouncing inside his head, thrilled beyond words that Shiro wants to be _alone_ together.

 _He doesn’t mean it like that. Calm down._ Still, some part of Keith hopes that maybe Shiro _does_ mean it like that.

“I mean… more alone.”

And oh _god,_ Shiro’s so awkward. He’s so awkward that it’s actually pretty adorable. If anyone else had said that, Keith would be bristling and fuming and barely able to control himself from smacking them. But Shiro? Yeah, Shiro can get away with saying just about anything.

Okay, so _maybe_ Keith has a soft spot for the big, dopy alpha.

Maybe.

He sighs and steps through the door. “Whatever.”

Shiro follows him inside, the door smoothly _whoosh_ ing such behind him.

The silence that follows is almost physical. Keith turns around, stepping away a little more to give Shiro room. He crosses his arms over his chest, cringing as his forearms brush over his tingling nipples. Damn, he forgot about them. Having Shiro so close by almost makes the warmth in his skin tolerable. That _ache_ fades, becoming just background noise. For the time being, he’ll take the comfort. It won’t be long before his heat starts in earnest, though, and that’s when he’ll need to kick Shiro out.

Even though he really, really doesn’t want to.

“So? You wanted to talk?” he asks, leaning away and hoping that his patches are doing a good job of keeping his scent locked tight. Sure, he can control his emotions. He can keep them from leaking through, but he’s still understanding of how scents in general affect others.

He tries to keep his gaze locked on the floor, on Shiro’s boot-clad feet, but that doesn’t help matters.

For whatever reason, those boots are _doing_ things to him. His cocklet, already hard and uncomfortable, twitches and drools precum at the thought of getting stepped on by Shiro. In those boots. Maybe with some mud on them. Yeah, he’d… he’d like that. A lot.

His gaze snaps up when he realizes he missed what Shiro actually said. “Come again?”

Shiro’s angular cheeks are tinged pink. “You weren’t listening, were you?”

“Hard to hear much with heat brain,” he mutters. Realizing what he just said, Keith claps a hand over his mouth, eyes wide. _Shit._ He hadn’t intended to _say_ it!

The alpha chuckles softly. “That’s what I was curious about, actually. I know heats are hard on you, and I thought maybe I could… offer my services?”

Keith’s stomach drops at the same time that his heart leaps. His omega all but _screams_ in joy, and it takes him a few long seconds to get himself under control enough to speak. When he does, his voice sounds tight and forced. “Your… services?”

Those are the only two words he manages to get out. His heart is pounding so loud that he can barely hear himself think. Every breath he takes roars through his ears, and his hands twitch at his sides. Fresh slick gushes forth at the mere _thought_ of getting to bed Shiro during his heat. He wants a knot so badly, too. A _real_ knot. Shiro’s knot. The craving hums deep inside him, his ass clenching again around nothing. Just imagining that sweet knot deep inside him, Shiro filling him with his seed, pumping him so full that pups are bound to--

“Yeah.”

The word draws his mind back to reality.

“Explain,” he wheezes, because anything more than that might actually make him pass out.

Shiro’s face has gone beet red. He rubs the back of his neck with his artificial hand. “Well.. I just… I know that your heats are more intense, and… and I like you anyway, so if you’re comfortable with it, I--”

Keith’s eyes blow wide. _I like you anyway._

That’s all he hears.

That’s all he _needs_ to hear.

His omega urges him to leap forward and tackle his prospective mate, and for the first time, Keith doesn’t fight the wave of instinct. He leaps. He lands hard on Shiro, knocking them both to the ground with a mix of grunts and hissing pain.

Keith sits up, hands fisting Shiro’s black tank. His arms tremble. _This is real. Is it? It feels real._ His head swims as he tries to digest what just happened. “You… want me?” he whispers. “You actually want me?”

God, he sounds so pathetic. But after years of waiting, years of not letting himself dare hope, Shiro has just said… out loud… and now… now he’s offering… to… to help…

Keith’s body shakes as his heat rips through him. His balls ache. Pleasure sings through his veins, and he swears he might just cum from even the slightest stimulation. Everything’s hot and curling and sizzling with need. His fingers clamp tight around Shiro’s shirt, and he barely manages to growl out, “You can’t… if you’re not serious, you _can’t._ ”

A soft, flesh-and-blood hand rests against Keith’s cheek. It’s cool compared to the flush in his skin. The hand directs Keith’s gaze down, and he meets wide, earnest eyes. “I’m serious. I wanted to ask before, but… the mission…”

He understands. The latest mission had pulled Shiro and Pidge away for almost a full month. Keith hasn’t seen them since just after his last heat had ended, and his heat always leaves him so _drained._ Shiro probably understood that and hadn’t wanted to pop a question like this right afterward.

“Dumb,” whispers Keith. “Waiting until now, I mean.”

Shrio laughs softly and leans up. His breath brushes across Keith’s face, cooling the ache in his skin. He’s a salve, a balm for Keith’s heat, and the omega craves more.

But he wants to be careful, too.

He’s wanted this for so long that it’s easy to imagine himself ruining it. Maybe it’s a good thing Shiro asked now, actually, because Keith doesn’t have the chance to prickle over it or act angry. He can’t push Shiro away, and he can’t second-guess himself as easily while his mind is muddied by his heat. So, he does what feels natural.

He leans forward and presses his nose against Shiro’s covered scent glands.

He catches the barest whiff of the sky and fresh mountain air. As he forces himself to relax against Shiro’s broad chest, Keith’s eyes drift shut. Slowly, ever so slowly, he moves his arms, resting one against the hard floor and wrapping the other under Shiro’s armpit and over his shoulder, drawing the alpha closer.

Beneath him, the alpha relaxes.

 _This… this is nice._ Keith closes his eyes, just letting himself _exist_ in the moment. He’s never felt this at peace before, especially not mere hours before his heat sets in. The noise his omega makes is stifled for now. It won’t be for long, though. For the time being, he can relax. Just like this. Just enjoy feeling an alpha against him, cooling his heat-flushed skin. _And not just any alpha. Shiro. My Shiro._

Their history is so complex; there’s so much he wants to say, but he can’t get the words out. For the first time in his life, Keith finds using his scent to communicate his raw emotions useful. He reaches up and peels away one of his scent patches, moving carefully, giving Shiro a chance to back out. Smelling another person’s scent isn’t horrible, usually. It’s just easier to concentrate on life--and on their jobs--with the patches.

And if Shiro doesn’t want to smell him, now is the time for him to say so or to leave.

But he doesn’t.

He stays still beneath Keith, waiting patiently like he always does.

Finally, the patch releases from his skin. Scent oozes down the side of his neck, and Keith exhales, letting everything he’s feeling finally tumble free. He urges himself to use his scent to communicate, and beneath him, Shiro’s body tenses.

At first, Keith thinks he might have overstepped a boundary--funny, considering what they’re about to do--but then Shiro presses his nose to the bare scent gland and inhales. A soft, warm tongue follows as the alpha licks across Keith’s neck.

He shivers, his thighs clenching around Shiro’s hips. It feels good. So, so good. A whine breaks the silence in the room, and Shiro freezes, tongue still pressed against Keith’s gland.

“S-sorry,” Keith whispers, trying to pull away. “I… I didn’t…”

Shiro gently holds his wrists, sitting up as Keith pulls back. “Shh. It’s okay. I’ve got you. Hey, look at me.”

The omega forces himself to meet the other man’s gaze. He doesn’t want to, but… he _has_ to. For himself. To prove he’s not weak, to prove he’s worthy of this moment, to prove… to prove _something_ he can’t put a name to.

That cool hand cups Keith’s cheek again. “I want this. I want _you._ Are you sure you want me?”

Keith nods before Shiro even finishes the sentence. “More than anything, alpha.”

“Shiro,” he whispers, dragging his thumb across Keith’s scarred cheek. “Just Shiro.”

“Shiro.” The name, a name he’s said a half million times by now, feels oddly foreign and new on his tongue when he says it like this, drenched in heat and trembling with desire and, though he’ll never admit it, fear. “Take care of me. Please.” The last word comes out husky. He doesn’t say it often, usually only to Shiro, so it doesn’t feel as awkward as he thought it might.

“Of course.”

Then, without preamble, Shiro stands, cupping one hand under Keith’s lower back, the other arm wrapping around his middle to keep him stable. Keith’s legs wind around Shiro’s hips almost instinctively.

Shiro carries him to his bed and lays him down, kissing his forehead. Soft lips trail lower, drawing a cool line across Keith’s flushed skin. Their lips meet, and Keith inhales sharply. His chest rises, pressing against Shiro’s, and his whole body shakes as desire roars through him. Fingers trace across Shiro’s shirt, and he drags them higher to finally run through his short hair. He exhales at the feeling of the hair beneath his fingers and palm. It’s so… _intimate._

Sparks seem to light everywhere Shiro touches. He takes his time tracing and kissing every inch of Keith he can reach, lifting his shirt to tenderly praise his stomach and chest. Keith’s mind drifts in and out of heat-hazed thoughts. Everything becomes _sensation_ and _desire._ Sparks dance in front of his eyes when Shiro sucks one of his tender nipples. It hurts, but it feels so incredibly _good,_ too.

His clothes become uncomfortable, and he sheds them with his alpha’s help. When his mind refocuses, he realizes they’re both naked. Shiro looks like a god, crouching between his legs on thick, strong thighs. His muscles twitch, the light catching them beautifully. His cybernetic fingers run along Keith’s ribs, gently tracing over his skin. It’s not as pink and splotchy there, thankfully, but it still aches with need, and Shiro’s touch fulfills that need.

“Wanted this for so long,” whispers Shiro. He leans in and kisses Keith again, his silky cockhead rubbing lightly against Keith’s ass.

The omega whimpers, lifting his hips, hinting he wants more. Normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to take what he wants, but this isn’t _normal_ for him. It’s Shiro. _Shiro, Shiro, Shiro._ That’s who he’s with. This is a man he trusts, a man he loves, a man he wants to be with forever. So he’s willing to be patient.

For now, anyway.

Besides, his heat doesn’t ache so badly with Shiro touching him. Every time he kisses Keith, relief washes through him. He can stand to wait a little longer, if he has to.

And then, softly, Shiro murmurs, “Gonna go in. I’m… I’m gonna rut. You smells so good, but I can’t hold on. I… I need…”

Keith wiggles lower, lifting his hips again, presenting himself for his alpha. He gets it. He _needs,_ too, and he’s willing to give Shiro what he wants. “Hurry. Please.”

The thick head of Shiro’s cock presses against his ass, and slowly, almost painfully slowly, he pushes in. Slick wets the way, easing them together. Keith’s eyes widen as he’s filled in a way his toys could never accomplish. Nothing has ever made him feel this _full_ before, and he moans, fingers digging into Shiro’s shoulders as his alpha pulls out only to push back in.

The alpha’s moans match Keith’s as he pushes deeper. Inch by torturous inch, Shiro guides his cock as deep as he can. Keith hadn’t even paid much attention to size; that wasn’t important in the moment. Now, though, he wishes he had. Regardless of how wet he is, stretching _might_ have helped. It’s not painful, just uncomfortable. Once he relaxes and adjusts, he should be okay. Still, he hisses through his teeth as Shiro’s fat cock digs into him.

 _Oh well._ It’s a lesson for next time.

Then, at long last, he feels the nudge of Shiro’s half-swollen knot pushing against his ass.

“Not gonna last long,” Shiro mumbles against Keith’s neck. “Gonna have to knot right away. But… but I’ll rut, so…” He huffs a soft laugh.

Keith tries not to think about how much he’s shaking as Shiro bottoms out, his knot finally popping in. It swells steadily, and he wraps his legs around Shiro’s hips, drawing him closer. “’S fine,” he slurs. “Don’t gotta fuck yet. Can just… just stay like this.”

Shiro moans against his neck as his knot fills out, pushing against the sides of Keith’s walls, filling him more than he’s ever been filled before. “Sh-shit. Good. I… I don’t think… god, you’re so tight. So tight, so beautiful.” An edge of possessiveness carries through his voice, and sharp teeth graze across Keith’s scent gland. “Be mine. Please, be mine. Before my rut takes hold. Please.”

The whispered words are all Keith needs to hear. He tilts his head, offering his bare scent gland. The others are still covered, but the patches will probably come off during their mating. “Take me, then, _alpha._ ”

Shiro growls, thrusts deeper, his knot keeping him from moving much, and clamps his mouth down around Keith’s scent gland, claiming him. At the same instant, something inside swells, and when Keith realizes Shiro just _came,_ his eyes roll back, mouth hanging open.

Heat rips through Keith’s body, and his thighs tremble as the low boil simmering in his belly overflows. Pleasure rockets through him. His toes curl, and his back arches. His fingers dig tight as wave after wave flows over him. The orgasm is quick, but leaves his body feeling heavy and exhausted. He’s sated--for now.

 _We have time._ He loops his arms around Shiro’s neck as his alpha starts a slow, steady pace, fucking his semen deeper into Keith. _There’s no rush. We’re finally together._

This is what he’s always wanted. This is all he has ever craved.

And finally, _finally,_ he has it.

**Author's Note:**

> Quick note that the omega paladins don't wear collars because they wouldn't work with their flight suits :) So they all wear scent patches. Just a small world-building tidbit that felt shoehorned in whenever I tried to include it XD


End file.
